youth as social change agents & experts of their own lives

a collective of 6 youth arts leaders from BPS

From the Summer of 2018 - Spring of 2019, ACI convened a collective of 6 youth arts leaders of color, self-named the Youth United Artists (YUA). The 6 youths represented four distinct BPS high schools. The program follows a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) process, positioning youth as social change agents and experts of their own lives. YUA members conducted research about social issues affecting their own communities in order to engage in advocacy. Drawing on ACI’s network of arts leaders, the YUA members worked with ACI mentors to co-produce knowledge and artwork, using their research as inspiration. The YUA shared their exploratory research at the Arts Equity Summit in March 2019.